Who wants to be the NFL's MVP? Midseason look at the top contenders

With the NFL at its midseason point, it's time to consider the candidates for the league's 2009 MVP award. But the half-season mark can be deceiving. Consider that at the same point last year, the Redskins were 6-2 and QB Jason Campbell, who had yet to throw an interception, was many analysts' top choice for MVP. Campbell and the Redskins went into a tailspin, and Colts QB Peyton Manning rebounded from a sluggish first half to win his third MVP award.

Yet the current season has offered several fast starters. USA TODAY's Sean Leahy examines who's in the hunt to win the MVP award in January:

Prime contenders-- Drew Brees, Saints QB: While Brees isn't chasing the NFL record for passing yards he nearly captured last year, he is engineering a potentially historic offense that has scored 273 through seven games. His 16 TD passes are tied for the league lead, and Brees ranks third in passer rating at 107.6. He's the catalyst for an undefeated Saints offense that is on pace to score 624 points, which would break the NFL record of 579, and showed the past two weeks that he's very effective rallying his team from a deficit.

-- Brett Favre, Vikings QB: If Favre stays on his hot pace, he and Peyton Manning could have a race to become the league's first-ever four-time MVP. At 40, he is tied for the league lead in TD passes with 16 and is on pace for career highs in completion percentage (68.0) and passer rating (106.0). Favre also has thrown just three INTs. But, paired in a backfield with Adrian Peterson, Favre is not the featured weapon for the Vikings he once was for the Packers. And his body failed down the stretch last season for the Jets, so his durability will be a question mark.

-- Peyton Manning, Colts QB: Manning has been far and away the NFL's most outstanding player of the first half. He's passed for at least 300 yards in six games while leading the Colts to a 7-0 start. He leads the league in completion percentage (71.1) and is second in passer rating (109.3), TD passes (15) and passing yards (2,227). The defending MVP, Manning would be the first to win the award four times. His achievements this year are coming while transitioning to a new corps of receivers that includes rookie Austin Collie and second-year player Pierre Garcon.

-- Matt Schaub, Texans QB: Schaub shares the league lead in TD passes with 16, despite not throwing for a score in two games. The Texans signal caller has avoided injury to himself, a big problem the past two years, but now must deal with the season-ending injury to TE Owen Daniels, who had 40 catches in the first eight games. Schaub is graced with the NFL's leader in receiving yards, Andre Johnson. And Schaub has the 5-3 Texans off to the best start in franchise history.

Other contenders:-- Jared Allen, Viking DE: This is a long shot, as no defensive player has won the MVP award since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. But Allen has been a major force for the Vikings' defense in its 7-1 start. He leads the NFL with 10.5 sacks. But 7.5 of those QB takedowns have come against the Packers' porous offensive line. And the Vikings' defense ranks 19th; such a middle-of-the-pack finish would be unlikely to support a defensive MVP.

-- Cedric Benson, Bengals RB: The former Bears castoff has been a big surprise for the first-place Bengals, considering he was a midseason flyer when they added him last season. Benson has is fourth in the NFL with 720 rushing yards and five TDs. If the Bengals keep winning and Benson is a dominating presence that helps that grind out victories, he could be in the mix for the award.

-- Adrian Peterson, Vikings RB: His pace has slowed since a jaw-dropping 180 rushing yards and three TDs in Week 1. In fact, Peterson has crossed the 100-yard barrier just once since then. But he's a game-changer for the Vikings, and his 784 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs are both second in the league. And the Vikings may lean even more on Peterson as the season grinds on and they look for ways to save the wear-and-tear on Brett Favre's body.

-- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers QB: The leader of the defending Super Bowl champs is on pace for a career-best season. The Steelers have shown uncharacteristic traits of a pass-oriented team, and Roethlisberger, with 2,062 passing yards through seven games, is leading the way. Said Roethlisberger, "We're not the Steelers of the '70s."

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About Nate Davis

Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate